It is a familiar scene. An employee of the Talley C-Store scrapes at the last bit of ice cream in the container as a student waits for the cup or cone of his sweet fix.
And students don’t have to go far to get this fix. They just have to make it to Talley before their favorite flavors run out.
The ice cream, which is only featured in Talley, is manufactured in Schaub Hall’s dairy plant. However, N.C. State’s freshly made ice cream attracts students from every side of campus.
“All the ingredients are extremely fresh,” Gary Cartwright, pilot plant coordinator, said.
According to Cartwright the ice cream’s “tried and true” recipe, which includes milk, cream, granulated sugar, dry milk powder and stabilized emulsifiers, is all they need to make a good product that people enjoy.
Like all State’s dairy products, he said the milk for the ice cream comes from the Vet School and research farm on Lake Wheeler Road.
The process of making ice cream, Cartwright said, begins with the raw product. The ingredients are then injected with air to create the smooth and creamy texture. This result is then mixed with its particular flavoring, such as fruit, nuts or chocolate chips. The final product is then packaged and stored at nine to 16 degrees Fahrenheit.
The production occurs about once a week during the year in order to make enough ice cream for Talley and special events on campus. However, at the beginning of the school year, Cartwright said the plant’s production increased in order to produce the ice cream that the Food Science Club will be selling at the State Fair.
The Food Science Club sells more than 1,000 three-gallon containers of ice cream during the two-week period the fair is running, according to Cartwright.
Audrey Kreske, a doctoral student in food science and coordinator for the fair’s sale this year, said the planning began in August when they ordered the dry goods and ice cream from the dairy plant.
Since the annual fair is the primary source of funding for the club, Cartwright said every member will sell ice cream at the fair, which began Thursday night. The college-made ice cream is always a popular vendor, making enough money to provide all the funds needed for programming for the club and earning them national recognition in years past.
The dairy plant itself is self-sufficient.
“It exists to cover the costs of operations and assist the food science department,” Cartwright said.
Since the plant receives no outside funding, the expansion that is in the works will require fundraising and take over a year. Ice cream is only available for purchase as single servings, Cartwright said, but in the next two years the department plans to make it available at a new ice cream store, which will be adjacent to Schaub Hall.
“We are trying to raise $2.3 million, and we are almost halfway there,” Cartwright said.
Although funds still need to be raised, plans for the building are already being finalized and include an extension to the lobby of Schaub, an ice cream bar and an outside seating area.
The new shop will increase the amount of jobs the dairy plant already provides to students through the work-study program. It will also integrate hands-on academics to the product and provide an outlet for students to market the product.
Cartwright said he hopes the student-run shop will provide a new place for students to eat, relax or study.
“We are hoping to make it a nice destination on campus,” Cartwright said.